Pansexual recording artist Janelle Monáe dedicated her two Grammy nominations Sunday (February 10) to her “trans brothers and sisters” in an interview with Variety.
The Atlanta native was nominated for Best Music Video for her single “Pynk” and Album of the Year for “Dirty Computer.” She dedicated the nominations to the trans community, who she said are rarely recognized at award shows like the Grammys.
“My trans brothers and sisters, they do it every day,” she said. “And they are shunned from these sorts of events. So, this one if for them.”
Monáe also talked about her sexuality and the way some said it would affect her career.
“My goal has never been to fit into any type of category,” she said. “And when you color outside the lines, and then you said, ‘Hey, also, I’m a queer black woman,’ some people can be a little afraid of that. And what that means and how do you market that and all those things. But it wasn’t about that to me. [It’s about] walking in your truth.”
The artist recognized the female representation at this year’s Grammy Awards as well, a stark contrast from last year. In 2018, Aleissa Cara was the only woman presented a solo Grammy. Recording Academy president Neil Portnow controversially said that female artists needed to “step up.”
“Well, we have made progress. We have no arrived, we have a lot more work to do,” the Dirty Computer singer said. “Last year, I remember taking that stage, and you can feel my frustration around our representation and this year, to have 15 women nominated in the big four categories is a beautiful thing and it’s to be celebrated.”
Female artists nominated for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist included Cardi B, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, and Chloe x Halle, among others.